Bid To Target Amarnath Pilgrims Foiled, IED Defused

22 June 2009The Hindu

Jammu: The Army on Monday foiled a militant bid to target the Amarnath yatra by detecting and defusing an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway at Panthal, 155 km from here. Militants had planted the high intensity IED in Panthal area to target a convoy of the Amarnath Yatra, they said. However, IED was detected by the Roap Opening Party (RoP) of Army, which is guarding the highway, they said, adding traffic was stopped at Panthal and cavalcade of 53 vehicles carrying 1,703 pilgrims was halted, they said. Later, special bomb disposal squad of army defused the IED on the spot, they said. The yatra and traffic was resumed after one hour-long halt till 10.15 am, they said.